Our Brand Story

Tim Ho Wan and its History in the Michelin Guide

In the restaurant world, there is no higher recognition than the Michelin star. Chefs strive for their entire lifetime pursuing this ultimate acclaim. Only the very best restaurants, replicating their dishes consistently year after year, achieve this Olympian feat. It is with much honour that Tim Ho Wan’s top Hong Kong dim sum sits among the ranks as one of them.

Tim Ho Wan was started by Chef Mak Kwai Pui, formerly of the prestigious three Michelin starred Lung King Heen restaurant in Hong Kong’s Four Seasons Hotel, alongside Chef Leung Fai Keung. In 2009, the two chefs joined forces to open their first 20-seater top dim sum restaurant in Mongkok. A year later, they would earn their own one Michelin star. More branches opened, each earning its own Michelin star. The accolades for serving superb food at affordable prices soon followed. Indeed, Tim Ho Wan is often called the most affordable Michelin-starred restaurant in the world!

Take a peek into this humble and unpretentious restaurant. You will be greeted by its old-school and simple design philosophy – from the open concept kitchen to adorning dim sum baskets on the walls. This tradition and simplicity extends to the food, which utilises elementary condiments and uncomplicated ingredients in its dishes, evoking and recreating the golden era of the old Silk Road teahouses where dim sum is said to have its origins. Today, customers need not journey quite as far to enjoy the award-winning Hong Kong dim sum in a more modern setting.

The First Step, Tim Ho Wan Singapore

The humble ‘hole-in-the-wall’ eatery in Hong Kong started to bring its delicious and affordable, dim sum restaurant overseas, with its first international location in Singapore.

To make this possible, Chef Mak and Chef Leung collaborated with Hersing Corporation, a well-known local conglomerate with various business interests such as Western Union Money Transfer, HC Design Interior Design, HC Lifestyle Designer Furniture & CASA Kidi Children Furnishing. Together, they opened Tim Ho Wan’s first international outlet at Plaza Singapura in 2013. Replicating the same taste of its Hong Kong counterpart, it was an unbridled success. Its opening saw long lines at all hours and intense media attention. Tim Ho Wan quickly became a household name. With its combination of quality and affordability, Tim Ho Wan won over the taste buds of discerning and budget-conscious Singaporeans to be the top dim sum restaurant in Singapore.

More branches in Singapore opened over the years to cope with demand. Now without having to hop on a plane, local devotees can savour the famed Baked Bun with BBQ pork – one of the four dishes that gained Tim Ho Wan its success and international following. Everyone can now enjoy top Hong Kong dim sum Singapore can offer!

With its successful overseas foray to Singapore and now-proven replication of its award-winning taste out of Hong Kong, Tim Ho Wan expanded to more countries in partnership with Hersing. Our dim sum in Singapore continues to earn the plaudits of food critics and the hearts of epicureans well beyond Hong Kong.

Dim Sum at Tim Ho Wan

The pork buns are enticing for its unique texture. Its exterior is crumbly and fluffy, while the inside is oozing barbecued pork which imparts a sweet-salty contrasting taste. The pork buns make up one of the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’. The other three – Steamed Egg Cake, Beancurd Skin with Pork & Shrimp, and Pan Fried Carrot Cake are also available at all branches of Singapore dim sum restaurant.

The egg cake is light and spongy, with a nice caramelised taste that lingers on the tongue. The Beancurd Skin with Pork & Shrimp is silky and wrapped thinly, the combination of pork and shrimp burst with flavours with every bite. Rounding out the line-up is the lightly pan-fried carrot cake, spiked with bits of radish for that extra oomph.

Other menu mainstays of the yum cha restaurant in Singapore include the Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce, Steamed Pork Dumpling with Shrimp, and many more.

The late night dim sum restaurant Singapore serves are made using only fresh and premium quality ingredients, and takes a little longer to prepare. They are not pre-steamed and reheated, but made-to-order so as to retain its much intended flavour and texture. Indeed as they say, good things come to those who wait. The best cheap dim sum restaurant Singapore can offer!

At Tim Ho Wan, the Dim Sum Mastery is Clear

Precision is the rule of thumb for all chefs in the kitchen. Every detail is carefully and painstakingly scrutinized, from dish placement and service delivery, to specific sizing of every morsel and right down to the folds of the snowy skins for dumplings. This takes years of mastery to instil, and the consistency in taste across every Tim Ho Wan outlet is evident.